Ch. 50
I find Peter in the break room, his back to me as he fusses over the coffee machine. The smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air, warm and familiar, but it does little to settle the unease in my stomach. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation I know we need to have.
“Hey, Peter,” I say, trying to keep my tone casual as I step into the room.
He glances over his shoulder, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Phoebe, hey. Want some coffee?” He gestures to the pot with a tilt of his head. “I just made a fresh batch.”
I nod, crossing the room to stand beside him. “Sure, I could use some.”
As he pours the coffee into two mugs, I watch him carefully. He’s always been a bit of a mystery to me—quiet, thoughtful, with a tendency to keep to himself. But after what I saw last night, I can’t afford to leave things unspoken between us any longer.
“Thanks,” I say as he hands me a mug. I take a sip, letting the warmth seep through me before cutting to the chase. “Peter, we need to talk about Marina.”
He freezes for a split second, his hand hovering over the sugar bowl. Then he sighs and reaches for the sugar, spooning a small amount into his coffee. “I figured as much,” he says quietly, stirring his drink. “What do you want to know?”
I set my mug down on the counter, folding my arms across my chest. “I want to know about your relationship with her. How long has this been going on?”
Peter looks down at his coffee, his expression guarded. “It’s… complicated,” he finally says. “But I suppose you deserve to know. It started about four years ago, not long after I arrived at the facility.”
He pauses, as if gathering his thoughts. I wait patiently, giving him the space to explain in his own time.
“I was assigned to maintain her lab,” he continues, his voice soft. “Adjusting the levels in her cryo chamber, monitoring her vitals—that sort of thing. It was just routine work. But one day, I screwed up. I miscalculated the levels, and… she woke up.”
My breath catches. “What did you do?”
Peter lets out a short, humorless laugh. “I nearly pissed myself, that’s what I did. I thought she’d be aggressive, that she’d attack me or try to escape. But she didn’t. She just… watched me.”
There’s a haunted look in his eyes as he recalls the memory, and I can tell that moment is seared into his mind, just as my own encounters with Wake have been for me.
“How did you two learn to communicate?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Peter shrugs, finally taking a sip of his coffee. “Marina already knew English. She also knows Japanese and German, apparently. As far as I know, I’m the only one on the island she speaks to… well, except for you now, I guess.”
I lean back against the counter, contemplating what he’s just told me. “No wonder Lily was so hellbent on getting Wake to talk to me,” I muse, more to myself than to Peter.
He nods, understanding the connection I’m making. “Yeah, she’s been obsessed with finding out what makes them crack, which is notoriously difficult. It's driving her crazy that she can't get them to tell her their secrets.”
I take another sip of coffee, letting the bitter taste ground me. “Peter… have you ever had any dreams about Marina?”
His cheeks flush a little, and he looks away, suddenly very interested in his coffee mug. “I… I dream about her all the time,” he admits, his voice barely above a whisper.
I shake my head slightly. “No, I mean… do the dreams ever feel out of place? Oddly… real?”
Peter frowns, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?”
I sigh, setting my mug down. “Has she ever mentioned anything to you about mates? Or a war among the sirens?”
His puzzled look grows into one of concern. “No, nothing like that,” he says slowly. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Never mind,” I mutter, frustration bubbling up. “We’ll just end up talking in circles and getting nowhere.”
Peter rubs his forehead, clearly stressed. “I don’t know if I’m up to learning more obscure facts about the merpeople anyway,” he says with a weak smile.
I place a hand on his arm, trying to offer some comfort. “How’s Marina doing?”
His face falls, and I can see the sadness in his eyes. “She’s asleep again. I… I don’t know when she’ll wake up.”
Seeing how much Peter clearly cares for Marina, I decide to tell him what Wake told me. “Peter, Wake thinks Marina might have witnessed something traumatic happen to someone she loved, and that seeing me triggered some kind of episode.”
Peter stares at me, trying to process what I’ve just said. “Something traumatic? But… how? Every movement she’s made has been recorded since the day Enigma captured her.”
I shrug, feeling just as lost as he is. “Maybe it happened before she was captured.”
We both fall silent, thinking. If something traumatic did happen to Marina before she was taken by Enigma, it could explain so much. But it also raises a hundred more questions.
“Where was she captured?” I ask, needing to know more.
Peter hesitates, then says, “Off the coast of Japan. In a facility that was studying marine life in that area.”
“Is the facility still there?” I press.
He nods. “Yeah, it is.”
“Do you have a contact there?” I ask, a plan already forming in my mind.
Peter looks at me, realization dawning. “You want me to call them.”
I nod. “Lily sure as shit won't tell us anything, and I want to know everything there is to know about Marina… now.”
Peter stares at me for a long moment, then finally nods. “Alright, I’ll make the call.”
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